


A Little Too Quiet

by froochette



Category: A3! (Video Game)
Genre: Birthday, Fluff, Lots of reminiscing, Memories, Wholesome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:29:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27672733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/froochette/pseuds/froochette
Summary: As Sakyo gets older, he finds himself feeling more and more sentimental. Today, it's his birthday and there's a lot of memories to look back on. But why is it so quiet?-Sakyo Bday Week Day 1: Birthday/Memory
Kudos: 25
Collections: Sakyo Bday Week 2020





	A Little Too Quiet

“Oi! Wake up, geezer, wake up!” Sakyo groans, swatting at the air above him before he can even open his eyes. “Don’t hit me, old man! Get up! It’s your birthday, no sleeping in!” Oh, right, his birthday.

“Okay, okay!” he sighs, rubbing his eyes. When he flutters them open, Azami is hovering over him, still in pajamas. The slight scowl on Azami’s face tells Sakyo that the younger is pretty excited. There’s definitely something going on. Azami ushers him out of bed, Sakyo complies. As their morning routines start, Sakyo starts to wake himself up. Wow. He’s made it to another year of life. As he buttons up his shirt, he looks over at the other side of the room. Azami is sitting at his vanity, carefully sweeping a brush across his face. Sakyo blinks. Jeez. When did Azami grow up in front of him? It feels like yesterday that Azami was jumping at every chance to play Jin-Gi-Oh. Now, Sakyo is no longer needed to keep him entertained. The boy he practically helped raise is now a rebellious teenager, bursting with independence and jumping at every chance to make Sakyo feel miserable. Sakyo honestly can’t believe it. 

Before he can think too hard about it, Azami snaps him out of it, dragging him out of the room. It’s already a little past nine in the morning, but as Sakyo is pulled through the courtyard, he... doesn’t hear much. It catches him off-guard. Even if it’s early for many of the members, there’s usually someone already making a ruckus. Now in the kitchen, Omi greets him happily. 

“Happy birthday, Sakyo,” Omi says as he sets a steaming bowl of breakfast in front of Sakyo at the table. 

“Thanks, Omi. This looks amazing as always,” Sakyo nods. Omi smiles as Sakyo digs in. While he eats, the only person who enters the room is Sakuya. The Harugumi leader excitedly wishes him a happy birthday as he joins Sakyo for breakfast. Sakyo glances at Sakuya starting to chow down. He remembers the first time he met Sakuya. That high schooler who had been so eager to put on a show that he did it with just himself and a bird. He had a lot to thank that optimistic high schooler for. Now, watching the Harugumi leader rifle through a newspaper for more part-time jobs as he eats, Sakyo can see how far the boy has come. A few worn out scripts sit under the newspaper. 

“Were you going out by the river today?” Sakyo asks suddenly. Sakuya looks up from the newspaper and nods, eyes curling into their own smiles.

“Did you want to join me?” Sakuya asks eagerly.

“I wish I could. No, I have business with Ken soon,” Sakyo replies, “Enjoy yourself. Don’t forget to bring snacks. We know how long you can be out there for.” Sakuya nods, pondering out loud what he should bring. After breakfast, Sakyo heads out to meet up with Ken. They have pretty simple errands to run today, which is nice for the both of them. Ken takes charge as they head around town. As the younger takes care of the jobs, Sakyo can’t help but think about how much has changed since Sakyo joined the Mankai. Ken has always been one of his biggest supporters, even if it may feel overbearing sometimes. He remembers when Ken had just joined Ginsenkai and was assigned as his assistant. He followed Sakyo like a puppy and still idolizes him. Sakyo can’t blame him though. He sees a lot of what he used to be in Ken, and he knows Ken has always needed a figure like him to latch onto. He’s grateful he could be that for him. Now, Sakyo is watching Ken work to become  _ his _ boss, what with his future as the head of Ginsenkai. Sakyo’s never felt prouder. 

Around lunchtime, Sakyo heads back to the dorms for lunch. Omi had asked that he come back, and seeing as he doesn’t have any plans, he might as well. When he returns to the dorms, he listens for a moment. It’s still quiet. What the hell? It’s starting to feel a little unsettling. It’s almost one and there’s still barely any noise? Has everyone disappeared? He makes his way to the main room, where he finds his troupe bustling in the kitchen. Well, here’s some noise. 

“Sakyo, you’re back! Happy birthday!” Taichi grins widely as he hurries over. The boy pulls Sakyo towards the dining room table, pushing him down into a chair. 

“What have you all been up to today?” Sakyo asks as Juza and Banri begin to set the table. 

“Nothin’ really,” Juza shrugs, “Happy birthday.”   
“Yeah, happy birthday, old man,” Banri grins. Sakyo rolls his eyes but smiles anyway. Soon, the troupe settles in for lunch. Again, Sakyo is grateful for this moment. While Omi makes sure everyone’s plates are full, Sakyo watches him. Omi has always been the good cop to Sakyo’s bad cop. Sakyo knows how important that dynamic is for the troupe, and honestly, even for himself. Omi is constantly reminding him to take better care of himself. Sakyo finds it quite funny, actually. The amount of time Omi spends worrying about everyone else is less time Omi spends on himself. In his own way, Sakyo tries his best to remind Omi to do just that. 

As always, Omi’s cooking is wonderful and Taichi had pitched in too. As usual, Banri and Juza bicker over something nonsensical while Azami and Omi listen on. Taichi interjects and manages to change the subject. The boy has always been good at mellowing out tempers in the group with his puppy-like chaos. Even when Sakyo yells at Taichi, he can’t help but take it easy on him. Sakyo knows he works hard and he could never invalidate that. 

After an eventful main course, Juza zooms to the kitchen and returns with dessert. He distributes the little puddings and as he dives into his own, he makes eye contact with Sakyo. Juza gives the older a small, sheepish smile, and Sakyo can’t help but smile back and shake his head. The amount of respect Sakyo holds for the sweets-loving young man sitting across from him is unrivaled. Like Ken, Juza reminds Sakyo of himself. It was Juza who helped him want to improve his acting, and it was Juza who helped him through the weird patch that he had unintentionally created during the Ginji play. Juza is always surprising Sakyo- in good ways, of course. 

Beside Sakyo, Banri nudges him. Sakyo looks at him. The leader tips his untouched pudding cup at the oldest, tilting his head in question.

“You don’t want it?” Sakyo raises an eyebrow.

“Nah. Too sweet for me. Plus, this is my present to you,” Banri places it in front of Sakyo. Sakyo scoffs. 

“Your present is a pudding cup that you don’t want to eat? You didn’t even make it.”   
“Do you want it or not?” Banri scowls.

“Fine,” Sakyo sighs, thanking him. Banri grins and runs a hand through his hair triumphantly. As much as Sakyo doesn’t want to admit it, it’s quite a sweet move on Banri’s part. He knows Banri doesn’t find the dessert too sweet- last time they had this, he had begged Omi for more. These little puddings are collectively Autumn Troupe’s favorite dessert to have, and even Sakyo is always eager for more. 

Sakyo looks around at this mini-family. He knows it’s technically his day, but he can’t help but feel grateful as he reminisces on the past year, and how far they’ve all come. He snaps himself out of it. Again, he realizes that, other than his troupe, there’s no noise to be heard around the dorm. What the hell?

“Hey, what’s everyone else up to today? It’s quiet,” Sakyo asks suddenly. At this hour, Homare is usually pacing the grounds, spewing words to inspire himself. Natsugumi is always bouncing off the walls somewhere too. Akigumi exchange glances with each other as Sakyo frowns. “Oi, spit it out.”   
“Well... no! They’re... everyone’s just busy today!” Taichi blurts out. Sakyo raises an eyebrow. 

“Shush, Taichi,” Azami hisses, “If you keep talking, you’ll dig your own grave.” Taichi purses his lips and makes a key locking motion with his fingers. Sakyo groans. Obviously something is going on. He could bust them right now, but... maybe he should let them have this one. 

The rest of the afternoon goes by quickly. He and Akigumi have practice for a few hours. Afterwards, Sakyo sits in the courtyard and reads. For some odd reason, he can’t focus. After some time, he gives up and closes his book. Leaning back on the bench, he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. It’s silent, save for the rustling of the leaves and his own breathing. That’s what it is. The silence. It’s really unsettling. Even on days where most members are at work and school, there’s always some sort of noise going on. As much as Sakyo complains about the noise, he realizes how comforting it’s become. He remembers when he was younger, coming home to silence. After joining Ginsenkai, it wasn’t as bad, although yakuza aren’t particularly talkative. Moving into the Mankai dorms took some getting used to. There’s always someone around, always someone asking about his day. He’s bonded with some of the members in ways he hadn’t expected, and for that, he’s grateful. 

“Sakyo!” a soft voice calls out. Sakyo flutters his eyes open and looks around. Muku is running into the courtyard, a big grin on his face. “There you are! Come on!” He stops in front of the older. 

“What’s going on?” Sakyo asks, standing. 

“You’ll see, you’ll see!” Muku bounces up and down. Sakyo can’t help but chuckle a little as Muku leads the way to the living room. He knows exactly what’s going on. As they near the room, Sakyo can hear hushed voices, frantically speaking over one another. When he steps in, he’s blinded by confetti and hears a pop of a champagne bottle.

“Happy birthday, Sakyo!” 

When the confetti clears, Sakyo glances around at the crowded room. 

“Jeez, you guys,” he smiles, nodding at Azuma in thanks for the glass of champagne he’s handed. “I can’t believe this.” 

“Don’t worry about the budget, everything is homemade or reused,” Yuki says quickly.

“Money, money, money, no money talk today,” Itaru shakes his head, “Just let us celebrate!” 

“I wasn’t going to say anything,” Sakyo rolls his eyes.

“Toast, toast, toast!” Kumon, Sakuya and Chikage chant. The blonde sighs and nudges his glasses up his face. He clears his throat. 

“It’s been a few years but I still get embarrassed when you do this. I knew it was coming, but... thank you. Also, it was strangely quiet today. I’m glad the ruckus is back,” Sakyo says simply. The company cheers with their drinks and takes sips of their beverages. 

“Actually, the quiet today was supposed to be our collective present to you,” Tsumugi chuckles. “You’re always saying how you wish it were quieter around here. You didn’t like it?”   
“It was nice but it didn’t feel right,” Sakyo shakes his head, “I’m used to the chaos now.”

“Oh, so, you prefer us to be loud?” Homare grins. Sakyo glares at the poet, who laughs. 

“Homare’s right!” Kaz snickers. In just a few seconds, Kaz has his fellow puppy-like actors rounded up and causing a ruckus. Sakyo can’t help but smile at their playful barking. Right away, Misumi is bouncing around the room. Citron and Chikage are cheering him on. Somehow, Misumi ropes Guy into it too. Homare grabs onto Sakyo’s shoulder and begins reciting his birthday poem for him. As nonsensical as it is, Sakyo is always amazed he can come up with something new for every year. Muku and Masumi present Sakyo a set of a new shoujo manga series that they insist they should read together. Muku is already gushing about it, despite only knowing a preview of it. Before Sakyo can even say anything, Hisoka is tugging on his sleeve, pushing a bag of marshmallows into his arms. After a lot of pushing and pulling by all of the other members, Sakyo finally falls onto the couch with an armful of presents. Beside him, Azuma chuckles. Sakyo sets down his presents and clinks his champagne glass against Azuma’s. He sinks back into the cushions and watches chaos unfold before him. He can’t wait for another year of life with these rascals. 

**Author's Note:**

> Happy birthday, my love!! It's been a fun year with you :)


End file.
